The Pittsburg State Gorillas won their conference opener against the Northeastern State RiverHawks and narrowly missed leaving Tahlequah with a sweep.

Pitt State won the first game 2-1 and lost the second 11-10 in heartbreaking fashion. The Gorillas fell behind 9-0 as the RiverHawks plated seven runs in the fourth to gain their nine-run lead but Pitt State went ahead 10-9 on four in the seventh and six in the eighth. Northeastern State scored the last two runs, including one in the bottom of the ninth, for the win.

Northeastern State came into the day with a 5-3 record and feature Cody Robinson, who earned a MIAA Hitter of the Week award this season for performances like three home runs against Truman State.

However, the RiverHawks’ offense was minimal in the first game Thursday against the combined pitching efforts of Matt Stalcup, Ryan McKay and James Fitzgearlds. Stalcup allowed one run on three hits over his four innings and McKay and Fitzgearlds allowed no runs and no hits over their three innings. Stalcup earned his second win.

All scoring was done in the fourth inning.

Brad Foss led off the top half of the fourth with a single and he stole second, giving Pitt State a runner in scoring position. Ryan Bilovesky grounded out, moving Foss over to third. Luke Bordewick reached on a throwing error, which scored Foss and allowed Bordewick to advance to second. Cody Ball singled, moving Bordewick over 90 feet. Bordewick would score on a sacrifice bunt by Austin Lastimado. This sacrifice bunt turned out to be the game-winning RBI.

Northeastern State managed its lone run on a Robinson RBI single.

In the second game, Pitt State made its comeback in many different ways — infield singles, bases-loaded walks, traditional singles, errors and a flyout.

Ryan Ventura picked up two RBI on a bases-loaded walk and an infield single, Ian Robinson hit a two-run single, Ball scored Evan Thomas on an infield single, Thomas drove in Ian Robinson with a sacrifice fly, runs were scored on a pair of errors by the RiverHawks and Samuel Falcon hit a RBI single.

Pitt State finished with only four hits.

Northeastern State tied it up on a sacrifice fly and won on the fourth Pitt State error of the game.

The Gorillas (3-1, 1-1 MIAA) host Nebraska-Kearney on Sunday and Monday, a doubleheader Sunday and a single game Monday at Al Ortolani Field. Pitt State was the last of the 15 MIAA teams to open conference play, due to a series of cancelations over the last eight days.

In the only other MIAA action Thursday, Central Oklahoma and Missouri Southern split a doubleheader in Edmond — Central Oklahoma won the first game 5-3 and lost the second 6-3.